What can I recycle?

According to the EPA, Americans produce approximately 4.4 pounds of waste every day. 75 percent of this waste is recyclable, though typically only about 30 percent finds it’s way to the proper receptacle. Use the pages below to find the best ways to recycle the materials in your home!

Plastic, Paper, Metal & Glass

All recycling is based on simple market economic principles. As commodities, things like aluminum cans are recyclable because industry recognizes their inherent value. In other words, an item is only recyclable if someone finds a use for the material. These markets exist for many of our household waste materials. Recycling works when the value of […]

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Household Chemicals

Household Chemical Wastes are waste products produced in our homes that are hazardous in nature, but are not regulated as hazardous waste under federal and state laws. They are typically leftover products that are no longer usable, leftover, or wanted. You can identify a product as hazardous by words such as CAUTION, WARNING, POISON, or […]

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Electronics

In 2010, the PA state legislature passed a law banning many electronic devices – including televisions and computers – from landfills and incinerators.  The law also requires that manufacturers of these devices pay the costs of providing residents with free and convenient recycling alternatives. Since the law took effect in 2013, many unexpected consequences of […]

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Managing Waste Paint

All paints, including both latex and oil-based products, can pollute groundwater, so never throw liquid paint products into your trash. However, there are methods that will allow you to legally and safely dispose of latex paint in your regular trash. If the paint is usable consider sharing it with a friend, neighbor, or relative. Latex […]

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Pharmaceuticals

Why Collect and Safely Dispose of Pharmaceuticals? What Are the Issues?                                        Social  Nationally, estimates point to more than 200 million pounds of pharmaceutical waste being generated annually. There are many reasons why these materials become unwanted […]

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Polystyrene Recycling

The Pennsylvania Resources Council, with the support of Nova Chemicals, and along with partners the Appliance Warehouse and Beaver County have worked to develop options for recycling expanded polystryene packaging foam for recycling in Southwestern PA. What is Polystrene Packaging Foam? It’s the hard white packaging foam used to protect TVs, computers, and household appliances […]

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Hard To Recycle Items

What is Hard to Recycle? Hard to Recycle is any item that you cannot easily recycle in your curbside collection program, such as tires, Freon-containing appliances, fluorescent tubes, etc.  These items, in some cases, cannot be placed in landfills in Pennsylvania, as they can leach harmful chemicals when not recycled properly. While these materials may […]

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